In Thunder, Lightening or In Rain
by ilovetvalot
Summary: This is our next story in the Shakespeare Series. It follows the events in the story "The Wheel Has Come Full Circle". It is a coda for the episode "There's No Place Like Home". Liberties have been taken with certain plot points. TWOSHOT.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This is our next story in the Shakespeare Series. It follows the events in the story "The Wheel Has Come Full Circle". It is a coda for the episode "There's No Place Like Home". Liberties have been taken with certain plot points.**_

_**Hey, guys, due to forum difficulties that will hopefully be resolved by fanfiction dot net soon, if you wish to join the Valentine's Challenge 2012, please visit us over at facebook. There is a group link on my page (Ilovetvalot Fanfiction) and on Hx Chick's page (Hx Chick) where you may sign up. Thanks!**_

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**In Thunder, Lightening, or In Rain**

**Chapter One**

It was official. Kansas sucked.

If Dorothy had had any sense, she would have been overjoyed when that twister had transported her to Oz. But no. The idiot just had to return to good ol' Kansas at the first sign of a strong wind.

Some people just didn't know when they had it good.

No place like home, her ass.

Pressing a hand to her aching head as she slammed her phone down, Jennifer Jareau wondered, not for the first time, if being in the middle of nowhere USA at the exact moment that an obviously vengeful God threw down tornadoes from the sky while a crazy lunatic was intent on murdering his next victim while her son was sick was some sort of omen. Seriously. As far as she was concerned, there was no such thing as coincidence, so that only left one option.

She was cursed.

And even if she had to hire the local witch doctor and stick pins in every voodoo doll in America, she was going to find a way to break the curse before it broke her.

"Jen?"

Dave's deep voice interrupted her spiritual introspection, and she glanced up to see his worried eyes staring down at her. He motioned at her dinged cell phone as he asked, "What's wrong?"

JJ's words came out in a torrent. "Henry's running a fever again and my mom's going to have to take him to the ER." Pushing her hair out of her face, she looked around the precinct desperately. "I need to go home."

Shoulders stiffening as he heard her tense, almost panicked words, Dave nodded once as he reached for his phone. "I'll go with you."

"Dave, no," JJ murmured, shaking her head as she rose. Grimacing as she saw his face flinch at her denial, she touched his arm, aware that he assumed she didn't want him there. They were slowly fixing their relationship, finding their way back to each other, but nothing was accomplished overnight; they both knew that. And each of them was still somewhat tentative around each other, taking baby steps across the rift that had separated them. "I didn't mean it like that," she whispered, her fingers contracting around his arm. "Really."

"But Henry's sick," Dave said softly, staring down into her worried eyes. "I want to be there, too, Jen."

"It could be nothing," JJ replied softly, shrugging even as she tried to believe her own words. "And the team needs you here to help find this unsub before he has time to kill again."

"A simple nothing wouldn't put that slightly dazed look in your eyes. Your mom wouldn't be taking our boy to the ER if it was something simple. What happened?"

Letting out a deep sigh, JJ tried to tell herself that she wasn't terrified. But she knew better. And she wanted him to know. She wanted him to know how deeply frightened she was because she knew, somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, that he would find a way to make the horror seem just a little less magnified. "Mom said it looked like a small seizure. Something called a febrile seizure. Evidently, they're fairly common with toddlers when they have a fever. Mom gave him his medicine but maybe it isn't enough," JJ clarified when his face tightened.

"Henry has a seizure and you're telling me to stay here?" Dave replied gravely, cupping her cheek and tilting her chin when she would have turned away. "No, JJ. No." Dave shook his head.

"No?" JJ repeated woodenly, staring up at his unblinking eyes.

"No," Dave insisted his face turning as stormy as the weather outside while waving Reid and Emily toward the door as they passed the desk he and JJ stood beside. "Three weeks ago, I lay beside you in bed and swore to you that you would never have a reason to doubt me again. I swore that I'd put both Henry and you above anything else in my life, and that sure as hell meant above a fucking profile for an unsub the team can catch without me."

"Before he kills again?" JJ replied vehemently, shaking her head, her blonde hair flying against her shoulders. "Look outside, Dave," JJ ordered, nodding toward the darkened window. "This guy is escalating and the more intense the skies become, the more his thirst to kill becomes unquenchable. There's no way in hell Hotch can afford to lose us both on this case. Not now. And since I'm Henry's mother, I outrank you. I've got to get home. You can afford to stay. If anything serious is going on, you'll be the first phone call I make."

"Rossi!" Emily called reluctantly from the other side of the room, "I'm sorry, but we need to go."

"Damn it," Dave bit out, glaring over his shoulder at his two waiting colleagues.

"Dave," JJ sighed, anxiously scanning the room for Hotch. "It isn't their fault," she reminded him gently, pressing her hand to his chest. "They're just trying to do their job."

"I know," Dave growled, releasing a frustrated breath before turning back to her, staring into her eyes intently. "You call me the second you land and again, as soon as you know what the hell is going on. Understand?"

"Of course I will," JJ agreed with a small smile, forcing herself to breathe normally even as she knew he was going to leave. "And you try not to take out your irritation on our team," she said pointedly. "It isn't their fault that we're all stuck in the middle of Tornado Alley looking for a sadist."

"I'll try," Dave agreed reluctantly. Damning protocol and rules to hell, he bent to roughly kiss JJ's lips for a heated second, his calloused fingers cupping her cheek. "I love you," he muttered against her mouth. "Both of you. Call me," he commanded one last time before forcing himself to release her and stride angrily toward the door.

Watching as he disappeared with Reid and Prentiss out the door, JJ sighed. All thoughts of unsubs and tornadoes faded into nothingness as she focused her mind on the most important thing in her life.

Reaching her sick son.


	2. Chapter 2

**In Thunder Lightening or In Rain**

**Chapter Two**

Six hours later, JJ stared blankly down at the phone in her hand, her eyes stinging with tears as the sounds of the police station faded into the background noise in her mind.

She'd failed.

Yeah, she'd assisted in saving an innocent life, but she'd still failed.

Because she wasn't where she needed to be. She wasn't with her son. Mother Nature and fate had conspired against her once again.

And she was here. In Kansas. Miles and miles away from where she was needed.

"Hey," a familiar deep voice murmured behind her as a solid hand settled against her shoulder. "What did you find out?" David Rossi asked as he dragged a chair from a nearby desk beside hers and sank wearily into it. "Did you talk to Henry?"

"Just told him a bedtime story," JJ replied, weakly holding up her phone, the weight and warmth in her hand the only tangible proof she still had that her son was indeed some better.

"Jen," Dave murmured, noting the sheen in her eyes. "Honey, it wasn't your fault that the FAA grounded all the airports."

"I should have been there," JJ whispered, her hand dropping woodenly as her phone fell into her lap. "What if it had been something serious? What if he'd been really, really sick, Dave? I'd have been here, taking care of someone else's child while my own was suffering. What the hell kind of mother does that make me?"

Seeing the raw terror and doubt shining in her expressive blue gaze, Dave shook his head slowly. "Henry is going to be fine, JJ," he said firmly, his tone soothing and calm as he stroked his hand against her hair. "We both spoke to the doctors. He has a double ear infection that sent his fever skyrocketing. They've got him on the right medication now and he'll be on the mend in a couple of days. We'll be home tomorrow."

"This time, Dave. He's okay this time. What about next time?" she asked, her voice shaking with unspoken fears, so much unknown...unpredictable.

Leaning forward, Dave grasped JJ's hands as he rolled his chair in front of hers and tugged her closer to him. "Stop," he demanded sternly. "Today was an extraordinary day. Nobody could predict that six tornadoes would touchdown in our flight path. You know as well as I do that not every case is like this one."

"But you can't guarantee that this won't happen again," JJ countered, her words tight in her already raw throat. "And what happens if I'm halfway across the country and Henry needs me for real next time? How can I take those kinds of chances when my son's life could be in jeopardy? What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that you could do both, sweetheart. And you can," Dave insisted, wrapping his fingers more securely around hers when she would have pulled away. "You have been."

"I'm being selfish," JJ bit out, unwilling to let herself off the hook. "I'm putting what I want above what my son needs," JJ denied, her back tense as she shifted in her chair in front of Dave, his unwavering eyes boring into her face, making her nervous.

"That's bullshit," Dave retorted flatly. Seeing JJ's set face, Dave knew without doubt she was holding herself responsible for events and circumstances way beyond her control. She was merciless when it came to critiquing herself, especially her parenting skills. But somehow, he had to reach her. "I was worried, too, JJ. I'm still worried. But I know what a good mother you are. I've seen you balance your need to be a profiler with being a mother. This was a rarity that may never happen again. You aren't a quitter, Jen. You don't give up because things get tough."

"Henry deserves a mother that'll be there for him when the going gets tough," JJ countered, her eyes burning as her guilt swelled.

"Henry has that. Look, if you're really serious, we'll figure something out. Maybe you and I stagger cases where one of us remains in DC with him," Dave offered willingly, his thumb sweeping against the throbbing pulse in her wrist. "Especially when we think he's sick."

Closing her eyes as she felt some of the weight on her shoulders seem to slightly dissipate, JJ shook her head. "I wouldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask," Dave replied evenly. "I offered," he stated adamantly, willing her to open her eyes and look at him. "I meant every word that I promised you, JJ," he said softly. "I'm not going to let you down."

"You haven't let me down here, Dave. I let me down."

"We can work around this, Bella," Dave said reassuringly, stroking his fingers against hers. "And tomorrow, we'll be home and we'll see him for ourselves and know that he's okay."

"Tomorrow," JJ said tightly, nodding her head as she stared out the window of the station, lightening flashing, illuminating the night as thunder rolled and rain slashed against the windows.

"In the meantime," Dave said, urging her to her feet, "We're done here. Which means we can go grab a couple of hours sleep at the hotel."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep," JJ denied as Dave helped her shrug on her coat and handed over her briefcase.

He shrugged easily. "That makes two of us, but we can at least not sleep together."

Allowing him to pull her toward the door, his grip firm, but gentle, JJ smiled faintly. "You're still okay with the 'not sleeping together'?" she asked, keeping her face straight.

"I think okay is a stretch." Dave grinned, lacing his fingers with hers as he opened his umbrella when they reached the covered porch of the precinct. "But, I'm not pushing," he sighed, offering her a sidelong glance. "Doesn't mean that I can't do some gentle convincing, though," he added as he winked, stealing a kiss on the steps as the rain poured around them.

And staring up into his twinkling eyes, JJ gave momentary thanks that she was in love with a man well skilled in the fine art of gentle persuasion.

Because, she silently acknowledged, she just might be ready to fall under his influence once more.

_**Finis**_


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